SANTA ANA, Calif. – Celebrated coach, mentor and historic sports icon Bob Knight is set to serve as keynote speaker for Response Expo 2013, scheduled to take place April 2-4 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. The legendary coach led Indiana University through a legendary 29-year run, winning three national titles at the school – part of a 41-year head coaching career at the NCAA Division I level. The address is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 2.

“Throughout his renowned career, Knight embraced the empowering effect teamwork had on the game,” says Response Expo executive director and Response Magazine publisher John Yarrington. “Along with keynote sponsor Havas Edge, we at Response are extremely excited for a keynote that promises to be stirring, inspiring and living up in every way to his famous philosophy: The will to succeed is important, but what’s more important is the will to prepare.”

Few college basketball coaches have crafted a resume that can compete with Knight’s. During more than 41 seasons as a head coach at the NCAA’s highest level, Knight retired in 2008 with 902 career victories, then the most by any Division I-A coach (he currently ranks third all-time behind only Duke legend – and Knight protégé – Mike Krzyzewski and Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim). He won three national titles during his 29-year run at Indiana University (1976, 1981, 1987), including coaching major college basketball’s most recent undefeated squad in 1976. Aside from his legendary stint at Indiana, he spent the first six years of his head coaching career at the U.S. Military Academy (starting at age 24) and his final six-plus seasons at Texas Tech University.

Nicknamed “The General” for his demanding style and success, Knight – who won another national championship as a player on the 1960 Ohio State team – also coached the 1984 U.S. men’s basketball team to the Olympic gold medal in Los Angeles.

Knight is his own man, one who represents high principles, expectations and demands for his players, his coaching staff and, most of all, himself. However, he is foremost an educator. His ability to teach young men the game of basketball and the game of life is one of his most noted characteristics. Committed to mentoring, Coach Knight’s coaching techniques and teaching skills place him in great demand as a speaker around the country, all the while as he serves as a college basketball commentator for ESPN.